Three and a half years later, both men need a victory to redeem themselves. Ortiz hasn’t won a fight since his final whipping of Ken Shamrock in October 2006, and hasn’t competed since his unanimous decision loss to Lyoto Machida last May, which was followed by back surgery and a lengthy recovery. Forrest Griffin is now riding a two-fight losing streak after suffering back-to-back knockouts against Rashad Evans and Anderson Silva. Personally, I wouldn’t bet on the guy who’s returning from major surgery — but has Forrest’s chin become too much of a liability? Your thoughts, please…

Cagepotato Comments

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Tito is going to smash Forrest. I dont give a shit that Tito is a complete retard, he is going to win. And Forrest is such a pussy bitch for not even talking about his last fight. He kept changing the subject and acting like an idiot. He should have never, ever stepped in the octagon with Anderson."

everyone was saying how it was going to be a great fight, and nobody even thought it would go down like it did.......but being a dumbass like you are and having that faggot perspective that YOU have, you now can say typical stupid " 831 son" banter about how he never shoulda stepped in the ring with Anderson...you are a dumbass 831, and you won't ever change, your opinion is like a bleeding pussy.......it just has to be nasty...and nobody fucking wants to see it.

831 Son- October 10, 2009 at 10:21 am

Tito is going to smash Forrest. I dont give a shit that Tito is a complete retard, he is going to win. And Forrest is such a pussy bitch for not even talking about his last fight. He kept changing the subject and acting like an idiot. He should have never, ever stepped in the octagon with Anderson.

Fight Fan- October 9, 2009 at 1:57 pm

Griffin thought he was funny by telling reporters that he lost because he was fighting Silva on ludes, and ran the hell outta the cage because some reporter's mom was waiting for him backstage. He's a sharp fellow.

Fight Fan- October 9, 2009 at 1:38 pm

For example, the difference between some who is proficient in one or more of the many martial arts; wrestling, muy thai, jiu jitsu, boxing, kickboxing, judo, karate, etc., and someone who doesn't have any particular mastery of the above, but can still, through basic athleticism, throw a decent punch, kick and ground and pound.

I'm not sure they are "lacking" any of these skills, because that would imply that they can't be successful and win, and can't be entertaining to watch. What I said is that they are closely matched, and not particularly proficient in the traditional martial arts.

reddog- October 9, 2009 at 12:33 pm

A couple of things...Forrest has a great chin. He got knocked out by Silva and Rashad...not weak strikers. Please stop playing the Who beat Who game. It goes in circles all day.

If you think that Forrest and Tito have "No MMA skills", who exactly does have MMA skill? Please fill us in on your extensive list. And what portion of their MMA skills is lacking? Do tell.

I think a lot of people on here are new to MMA and never saw any old UFC fights. Or you would remember the wars Tito and Forrest have been in. Instead, its "what have you done lately?" No one stays on the top forever. Whoever you currently hold on a pedestal will eventually go down quicker than a Jersey crack whore.

Ballentine- October 9, 2009 at 12:28 pm

Tito wins by infecting Forest with a strand of super Herpes.

ArmFarmer- October 9, 2009 at 12:19 pm

I too lost some respect for Forrest after his last fight.. not because he lost but because he ran away so quickly and kind of disappeared from the media afterwards.. until that one interviewer finally asked him about it to his face and all he did was beat around the bush.. pretending he didn't remember what happened or whatever. I've wanted to hear his take on the fight sense it happened.. instead we just heard him joke his way around it. If you lose a fight then man up and accept that it happened and be open in talking about it. His attitude towards it is just.. weird.

I don't know what you're talking about with the ludes and mom and stuff, must have missed that one.

Jarekov The Great- October 9, 2009 at 12:16 pm

I really see this one going to the ground early and tito using his Silverback strength to lay out griffin.

Knee 2 tha Face- October 9, 2009 at 12:08 pm

I must be the only Tito fan left on this planet. I won't argue or list reasons why Forests chin is suspect. The fact of the matter is the fight against Silva he gave up. Lost his "Mojo" if you will. Tito is hungry to do something now he's back in the octagon. Sorry the poster boy for UFC brawlers is gonna get KO'd 2nd round by Tito. Forest takes too many shots in his fights to withstand hard shots. Not that Tito's boxing skills are amazing. But Freddy Roach might be able to help him hone in on some.

Fight Fan- October 9, 2009 at 10:45 am

ArmFarmer,

I hear you, but I guess mma skill is a relative thing, and it is not needed to win mma fights. Lots of guys have won fights by simply being decent athletes and brawling.

I guess my point is that Forrest and Tito are "fighters", guys who can punch, kick and stuff the occasional takedown, as opposed to martial artists who fight.

And I have no respect for Griffin after the stupid shit he's said about his recent debacle of a fight...fighting on ludes, mom backstage, etc. This is what he came up with after taking time to reflect. Respect? The guy's a douchebag. Just say you got pwned and move on.

ArmFarmer- October 9, 2009 at 10:22 am

@fight fan

First off, while we all know Sylvia is not the best I also don't think you can argue he has no mma skill. During his reign he had decent stand up, great td defense, and he held his own on the ground with Monson. He also had a pretty good pro mma record.

Secondly Forrest has wins over Shogun and rampage. Tito has wins over Forrest, W. Silva, Belfort, Tanner, Matyushenko, and a draw with rashad.

All 3 of these guys have been ufc champions at one point. You have to admit to even get a fight in the ufc you have to have SOME mma skill, and to be a champion you've got to be pretty skilled. I could understand saying say.. Kimbo.. or Bobb Sapp.. have no mma skill. But these guys? Show a little respect at least. Well maybe not for Sylvia, he did crap his pants in the middle of a fight.

Videodrome_NOW- October 9, 2009 at 10:13 am

@ Defenender

Right on, man. I pretty much thought we wouldn't see or hear from Forrest until maybe next year, if at all. So glad he is back and fighting Tito, who I think lost their first fight. However, that doesn't matter, I still want to see Tito actually look like he has improved, not the same pile of garbage we've seen in the Shamrock fights. If Tito actually comes out and has a good fight with Forrest, I'll probably stop talking so much shit about him for awhile.......that is until his brain gets the best of him again and he starts calling out everyone after the fight. :)

steampunk22- October 9, 2009 at 9:34 am

^agreed

I would like to see Forrest win. Ortiz is not much of a draw anymore, Griffin still has diehard fans, but unless he turns it around real quick he should probably retire, train kids at Xtreme Couture or become a cop again and live his life. Ortiz is a moron but he doesnt need the money anyway, his g/f is loaded (with jizz! lol).

But I agree they dont have much to win here, unless someone gets a 1st round flash KO or something dramatic, its not really that interesting.

I dont want to see griffin drop 3 in a row though, that SUCKS.

Fight Fan- October 9, 2009 at 9:32 am

Sylvia is a past champion too. Was he a fountain of skill?

Every division needs a champion. Doesn't mean he's the most talented guy in the division.

In retrospect, Griffin's time at the top will be looked at like Sylvia's reign as champion.

Forrest "Gump" Griffin is a moron. Run. Forrest, Run.

dedflesh- October 9, 2009 at 9:27 am

its a pointless fight, neither fighter gains or loses anything from this crap.

Defender- October 9, 2009 at 9:09 am

@bpd

I loled

bpd- October 9, 2009 at 9:01 am

Prediction: No contest due to accidental headbutt from Ortiz. During instructions.

Defender- October 9, 2009 at 8:59 am

This makes me very, VERY happy. I was afraid the UFC was setting up a squash match for Tito (no disrespect to Coleman, the guy is still a bulldog...but let's be honest here).

Before I even got into MMA, or knew much about it...I disliked Tito with an undying passion. But, he could sell seats so I had to put up with him. I think the part that gets me, is his "grand return". As if there was a market for him to come back after his "fight" with Dana. Personally, I think him coming back brings MMA down a notch.

Forrest has always been a favorite of mine, and he was the only reason I watched TUF S1. I can't lie...I had to get up and get a drink and a shot after I saw the working he received from Anderson. In he back of my mind I like to think something was going on with Forrest personally and he just wasn't prepared for the fight.

Even with Anderson's working over...I still go with Forrest. Tito seems to be another version of Phil Berroni. "HEY GUYS!!! LOOK AT ME!!! HELLO!?" With all his talk of being 100% and having zero pain...I hope to hear a very humble Tito say:

"I have no excuse...the better fighter won."

But what will actually happen is:

"I thought my back was all healed up, but I was having some problems with it after the second round..."

ArmFarmer- October 9, 2009 at 8:49 am

There are a lot of dumb comments in here..

-The jardine KO doesn't count? lol First of all you can't just say a loss doesn't count that's retarded to begin with.. second of all the topic was forrest chin not his skill.. so how does it being earlier in his career have any impact on his chin aside from that it should have been stronger then than it is now.. which goes against your argument.

-Two guys with very little mma skill?? How can you say two former light heavyweight ufc champions have very little mma skill with a straight face? They're no Anderson Silva, but come on..

-Forrest didn't tap to strikes.. he was unconcious and his arm was just flailing as he was being hit.

terrence- October 9, 2009 at 8:43 am

@ billiams
Forrest lost to Tito in decisive fashion in their first fight. Tito absolutely dominated the first round. Forrest did nothing and Tito deserved a 10-8 round. 3rd round was close, but that take down and ground and pound at the end clearly decided the winner.

It's kinda tough for me to get too excited about a fight when it has that pre-determined "Both fighters need a win" status. It kinda screams "undercard" to me, which is odd because most fighters on the undercard are in the process of proving themselves or trying to work their way up. Guys like Tito or Forrest who're somewhat proven or former champs, yet "need a win", aren't going to pull PPV numbers if they're used as a top spot on the card. If Tito fought Machida in December... strange as it is to say after being labeled "boring" for so long... it's Machida we'd wanna see perform and it wouldn't have much to do at all with Ortiz. I don't see Ortiz/Griffin II as a worthy co-headliner, but that's just me.

Fight Fan- October 9, 2009 at 7:43 am

I bet the farm on Tito. Never thought I'd say that.

Don't make the mistake of considering Forrest's last knockout a knockout. It was way more than that. It was a beating of gargantuan proportions...the type which makes you run out of the cage in embarrassment and that makes you hate yourself.

Calling what Silva did to Forrest a knockout is the understatement of the century.

In any case, we'll get to see two so-so athletes with very little MMA skill battle it out. At least we know that Forrest will run the 100-yard dash either way.

Fight Fan- October 9, 2009 at 7:42 am

Griffin is the perfect opponent for Tito. A lumbering guy who telegraphs everything and is not too quick to get out the way. I'm sure Tito is feeling pretty good. On the other side of the coin, Tito's toolbox is not too deep either. Two mediocre fighters should make for a decent fight.

Gamecock- October 9, 2009 at 7:31 am

My money is on Forrest for sure. He's on a 2 fight losing streak but look who he lost to. Two of the better fighters in the world right now. You can't really fault him too much for that. And Tito is Tito.

fACE7biter- October 9, 2009 at 7:25 am

I don't think Griffin's chin is suspect as much as he is just a wildly inconsistent fighter. He did lose to Jardine and Tito. He did start to tap from Rashads strikes just as the ref stopped the fight(tapping to strikes? bitch move). And while losing to Silva isn't anything to be ashamed of, he was knocked down by short jab while the guy was moonwalking away. He couldn't even stick around for the interview he was so embarrased, his second time doing so. Most of his big career wins have come by way of decision, he couldn't even put Bonnar away in two trys. This guy just came out with a book talking shit about how he is the measuring stick for toughness amongst men. His record shows he is anything but, so why is anyone still singing his praises? I could care less about Tito, but I definitely can't root for Forrest ever again. Neither of these guys is going to do shit at 205. Asceredant is right, we may just see Grffin vs. Bonnar 3 with the way their careers have been going.

Mike Milbury- October 9, 2009 at 7:21 am

@Las: I consider guys with suspect chins are the ones who more often than not take one or a few clean punches and are out cold (Arlovski being the prime example). I don't think Griffin qualifies as he tends to take a few hard shots before he gets finished. And even then, he's never stiff, layed out and unconscious. He pretty much propped up after the Silva fight.

UFC fan- October 9, 2009 at 7:04 am

I don't care how you break it down.....a wore out insane, depressed Griffin can beat an old wore out never gonna be the same Tito. this shouldn't go the distance. night night Jenna's bitch.

C-Bus Allstar- October 9, 2009 at 6:55 am

Plenty of guys that have been hit that directly by Anderson Silva and not been knocked out? Sorry, I don't see it. I don't see how you could say that getting knocked out by arguably one of the greatest fighters to put gloves on, and one of the brightest up and comers in the sport could make someone's chin look suspect. I think you aren't giving enough credit to Anderson Silva and Rashad Evans. The quality of competition that Forrest Griffin has faced is nearly unparalleled in the fighting world. I mean, he's fought nothing but champions and ex-champions for the last 2 fucking years. How could you call him suspect when he's only lost to the best in the sport? The Jardine fight doesn't count, that was before Griffin got serious about this shit.

Art Gibs- October 9, 2009 at 6:49 am

Griffin has improved tremendously since his fight with Ortiz, and Tito has probably gotten worse. Griffin will win this. Ortiz has made a very bad decision.

two_black_eyes- October 9, 2009 at 6:44 am

this should be a good fight. Way better than Tito vs. Coleman. I take Forrest for the win for the simple fact that i dont want to see tito win. Forrest has always been susceptible to a clean blow to the chin or "on the button" as Rogan would say, but right now im questioning where he is mentally. he was beat before he stepped in the cage against Da Spider, he better come ready for a battle.

LAS- October 9, 2009 at 6:38 am

@C-Bus

How can you discount two consecutive knockouts, especially when there are plenty of guys that haven't been knocked out by Silva and Rashad? You are also forgetting that Rampage knocked Forrest down in round one of their fight, and that he was knocked down and out by Jardine. So, counting the three knockdowns in the Silva fight, Forrest has been knocked down 6 times in 11 UFC fights. If that isn't a suspect chin, then what the fuck would you consider suspect?

provrorsbarn- October 9, 2009 at 6:33 am

forrest has better standup then ortiz....and leg kicks....forrest by unanimous decision.....and the weak chin comment is retarded.....his chin got punched straight on 6-8 times by one of the best standup mma fighters in history....

Fedor vs. Bas- October 9, 2009 at 6:19 am

Forrest takes this one. Too much ring rust is always shown after these guys un-retire and come back to their first fight. Rua, Coleman, now Ortiz. But instead of having a simple fight, Ortiz is going to get his ass kicked by Forrest. Shit even his head is so big it makes a great target for Forrest to hit.

I'm looking forward to this.

C-Bus Allstar- October 9, 2009 at 6:02 am

Jesus Tittyfucking Christ, FORREST GRIFFIN'S CHIN IS SUSPECT? Give me a fucking break guys. He got knocked out by Rashad Evans and ANDERSON SILVA. First and foremost, Anderson Silva would make ANYONE'S CHIN look suspect. Second of all Rashad Evans hits hard as FUCK. Let's face it, Rampage flash KO'd Liddell, Evans fucking sent him to LaLa Land, nearly permanently. I think Griffin takes this one in a decision due to Tito's ring-rust.

Ascerendant- October 9, 2009 at 5:45 am

The former LHW champ has now been degraded to a replacement in Tito's proclaimed "tune-up fight". Way to go, Forrest. If his career goes further down that path, he and Bonnar might fight again after all!

billiams- October 9, 2009 at 5:38 am

Hopefully Forrest won't get screwed this time.

ShackleMeNot- October 9, 2009 at 5:36 am

I'm not even gonna bother picking apart abilities, strategy, power, etc... I like Forrest even though he has a suspect chin, and I just hate tito's monkey lookin ass. Lets hope forrest kicks some ass